First elected two years ago to the Berrien County Board, Dr. Bob Harrison has filed today in a bid to maintain his seat at that table representing the 7th District, including the Village of Stevensville and Precincts 1-5 of Lincoln Township.
Harrison, the former President of Lake Michigan College has filed for the Republican nomination in the 7th District, a seat which he has held since January of 2019 after being elected Commissioner in November 2018.
A longtime leader in the community in a number of organizations, Harrison cited his experience, his ability to build relationships and provide results in making his announcement, saying, “I am proud of the development going on in Berrien County, and I believe I can continue to add value and leadership to the Board of Commissioners.” His current Committee assignments include serving as the Vice-Chair of the Finance Committee, as a Board representative to the Emergency Operations Center, the Local Emergency Planning Committee, the Berrien County Transportation Advisory Committee, the Brownfield Authority and the Pension Board for the County.
After a successful career as a hospital administrator, first at Pawating Hospital in Niles, then with the Lakeland Health System, Harrison was named Dean of Community and Business Services at Lake Michigan College in 1999. He became President of LMC ten years later, in 2009, and led several successful projects at the college. Those include the construction of the Hanson Technology Center, establishing the Wine and Viticulture program, a successful capital campaign, the initiation of student housing at Beckwith Hall and the retention of a capital outlay grant for $8.5 million from the State of Michigan.
Harrison says, “I believe in collaborative leadership, and that problem solving best happens at the local level. While we have our challenges, Berrien County has tremendous assets we can leverage. ”
Harrison has been active in the community in a number of leadership positions. He served on volunteer boards for organizations such as the Benton Harbor-St. Joseph YMCA, Berrien Community Foundation, the Berrien County Council for Children, Cornerstone Alliance, Hospice at Home, Lory’s Place, Michigan’s Great Southwest Strategic Leadership Council, the United Way of Southwest Michigan and the Southwestern Michigan Economic Growth Alliance. He also serves as the Chairman of the Health Advisory Board for the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi Indians and was a prior winner of the Margaret B. Upton Volunteer Leadership award.
Harrison holds a Bachelor’s degree from Western Michigan University, a Master’s Degree from Temple University, and a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from WMU.
He lives in Lincoln Township with his wife Janine and two children, Paul and Hannah who attend Lake Michigan College and Grand Valley State University respectively. A son Brian lives in Portage with his wife Gabbi and son Hank.
There is also word today that Berrien County Commissioners Ezra Scott and Dave Vollrath have announced re-election bids as well.
